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staff at the classroom, building, and district levels.
The district also created its own proprietary data
dashboard with the ability to view data across the
district, by school, and by classroom — drilling down
to the student level to analyze and evaluate
performance and trends.
Illinois CSI ignited the district work toward
transformation by asking probing questions and
offering organizational resources and protocols, as
well as research on teacher practice, to push the
thinking further. As a result, each department
developed plans to implement practice changes
aimed at improving student outcomes.
“We are proud to showcase Thornton Fractional
School District 215 as one of the many districts in
our state making a difference for students,” said
Illinois CSI Executive Director Dr. Betheny Lyke.
“We draw from research-based best practices,
grounded in the use of data, to guide districts in
making transformative changes in their systems —
and they are seeing results.”
This data-informed, collaborative approach has
resources.
“We are not a rich district, but we have been able
to use our finances very wisely and operate very
effectively and efficiently for our students and our
community,” Williams explained.
Although early in its transformation, the district is
beginning to see results of its new data culture.
District data show steady increases in student
scores in English and reading as well as
improvements in graduation rates.
“We have always realized the importance of data, but we needed to collect and
analyze the right data and use it a meaningful way to help our teachers and students
reach their full potential,”
--
Dr. Creg Williams, Thornton Fractional’s Superintendent
About the Illinois Center for School Improvement
The Illinois Center for School Improvement (CSI), an organization created by the Illinois State Board of
Education and American Institutes for Research, provides support
for districts with low-performing schools in transforming their
systems to ultimately drive higher student achievement. We guide
district leaders through building effective leadership teams that
make data-driven decisions to implement research-based best
practices, with monitoring and feedback loops for continuous
improvement. Districts and schools leaders agree that they are
making system wide improvements that will lead to transformation.
For more information about Illinois CSI, visit
www.illinoiscsi.org.